Chef

Carter James

Asheville

About Carter James

Carter has consistently had a creative side as he grew up, whether sketching, painting or writing short stories. Four years into his time at Appalachian State University and three changes in academic major, the only consistent thing was his time working in Boone area restaurants after classes and on weekends. This is where he felt he could tap into his creativity and imagine, design, build new flavor combinations and dishes. And he found he’d rather spend his time learning about food and cooking.
“Interestingly, I found my true passion at App State – as my parents always encouraged me to do when I left for college – but App didn’t offer a culinary degree,” Carter said. So, similar to Shorty’s journey, Carter left school to devote his energy to cooking full time in kitchens at the Green Park Inn and Storie Street Grille in Blowing Rock, as well as the popular restaurant Proper in Boone. Working his way up from prep and grill, to ordering and working with local farmers on selecting produce and proteins, Carter quickly moved up in responsibility but his passion has always been in creating.
“I love the process of creating a meal or special from scratch, from starting with seasonally available ingredients and thinking through the whole prep process and then plating everything in a beautiful way really gets me going. Many people in the food industry despise this strenuous process but I saw a certain elegance to it that drew my attention. I was surrounded by people who saw food differently and appreciated the art of cooking and being able to create a simple art piece each day that you get to eat is pretty neat to me.”

My Venues

Where I Go Out

"STOP SCROLLING.... this is serious.
We need you to vote on which of these Bao we should keep on the menu. Vote with #BreakfastPork !!! If you need to try them both to decide we understand - we will be at the Brew Pump all day today (Sunday March 4th)! •Crispy Fried Chicken Bao with a sweet chili glaze, Thai pickles, and Asian mayo. •Seared Pork Belly Breakfast Bao with a fried egg, griddled cheese, and fresh Thai herbs."

"We're trying something new that we think you'll enjoy 😉 Our famous pork belly bao now comes with a homemade Thai style honey mustard!
Come try it and let us know what you think today/tonight at @newbelgium_avl !!"

"Part of succeeding as a business is understanding the customer's needs.
Well it has come to our attention that Asheville apparently NEEDS Thai Street Fries. Say no more.
Our special today at New Belgium is made from locally sourced pulled pork, 1554 New Belgium Beer Cheese, fresh cut fries and crispy fried shallots with Thai herbs and spices!"

At My Venues

"STOP SCROLLING.... this is serious.
We need you to vote on which of these Bao we should keep on the menu. Vote with #BreakfastPork !!! If you need to try them both to decide we understand - we will be at the Brew Pump all day today (Sunday March 4th)! •Crispy Fried Chicken Bao with a sweet chili glaze, Thai pickles, and Asian mayo. •Seared Pork Belly Breakfast Bao with a fried egg, griddled cheese, and fresh Thai herbs."

"We're trying something new that we think you'll enjoy 😉 Our famous pork belly bao now comes with a homemade Thai style honey mustard!
Come try it and let us know what you think today/tonight at @newbelgium_avl !!"

"Part of succeeding as a business is understanding the customer's needs.
Well it has come to our attention that Asheville apparently NEEDS Thai Street Fries. Say no more.
Our special today at New Belgium is made from locally sourced pulled pork, 1554 New Belgium Beer Cheese, fresh cut fries and crispy fried shallots with Thai herbs and spices!"